>>23570
Hi Dave. Here's a couple friendly tips for people coming into the gaping hell maw that is SL.
>money is power
Currency in this, known as Lindens, are power here. You need 10 to upload sounds, animations or images, and even more to upload models. Nearly everything costs L, and there's only a handful of ways to get some, all requiring effort. You can pay real money, find a "job" like stripping and hope you get tipped, or sell content you made.
>all avatars are not equal
Let's get this out of the way now. You're going to see a lot of ugly avatars. Generally around places like the chan operated sims the avatars are more creative, but be prepared for some ugly avatars around. Also be aware that because something costs more doesn't make it better. The costs in this are absolutely arbitrary to the whims of the content creators. Make sure to spend wisely to maximize fashion.
>you will be bullied
As said above, you're new. New accounts have stigmas attached to them. Mostly, grief stigma. Try to act on your best behavior and stick to a group for a bit till you learn the ropes, make an avatar and get some age in your account. Also, make sure to get a profile image. It goes a long way to making you more credible.
>finding the right crowd and being mindful of influence
In my time observing and participating in this place (about 5 years now by my count), I can tell you that this place does things to you. terrible things. The phrase "second life" can become literal in a lot of cases. The casual chat client becomes too real. People get too sucked in. It becomes their life, and when it does, drama is created as a by product. You don't want to get involved in SL drama. It is awful. Like, it's always so retarded but because people are so involved they cannot see themselves becoming idiots, and big hassles happen as a result. Further, as you talk to people and get sucked in you will probably adjust yourself to fit in with them as you would with a real group of friends. The problem is here in SL, your new friends can be anything from a bunch of horse dick fifties to griefer rainbow seizure robots. (Hi kopy!) Einstein's first law applies to social cliques too. As you push your new ideals onto them they'll push theirs back onto you. Be careful you don't lose yourself in whatever hive mind you decide to join be it /vg/, /d/, or whatever the griefer groups go by these days. If you're going to grief don't blow L on your account, by the way. Just saying.
>finally, fun is the most important part
It goes without saying but if you aren't having fun you shouldn't be online. Don't force yourself to stay if you aren't enjoying it. Find whatever it is on here that you might enjoy be it sex, games, or company, and just enjoy it. Too many people these days whittle you down and talk shit about people who get "Popular", leading to them not having fun at all. The effect snowballs and eventually everyone is name calling rather than enjoying themselves. So if things get bad, just take a break! Others will understand. If it's for a day or for 6 months, a break may be just the remedy you need to enjoy SL again.
Post your in game name(be mindful that you have 2: a display and a username. People find you by your username.) and I'm sure a number of people in here can be happy to help you out sometime. Don't be afraid to ask! So hopefully this post helps you get a bit of detail about this whole virtual pit of weirdness that has such a stigma attached to it.